IAN D. LEVINE
DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
LEGAL LINE
Ian Levine is a Canadian visionary who has been innovating the Canadian legal space since 1991.
Pardons Canada
As founder of Pardons Canada, Ian undertook the herculean effort of assessing the REAL effects of criminal records, and building relationships with hundreds of associations that helped people get back-on-track. After more than two decades of guiding 200,000 Canadians to a ‘fresh start’, Ian looked up one fine day and realized that the organization he had created had become the recognized authority in its field.
Before long, Ian was bombarded with invitations to speak, and has since conducted over 400 presentations to all levels of government including Canadian Border Services, Continuing Education for lawyers, probation officers, Toronto Police and many others.
The purpose of Pardons was to help Canadians who had ‘paid their dues’ to get a second chance at a full life. Ian was constantly asked why he would work so hard for ‘criminals’ and he replies… “Any person who did wrong, paid their dues, and learned from it has fulfilled their punishment and is deserving of a pardon. What the community doesn’t realize is that good people continue to punish themselves with shame, and suffer needlessly for years after their court imposed sentence has ended, and that’s not right, everyone needs closure and HOPE.” (Ian Levine)
While Pardons was being built, Ian’s partner, Antree Demakos, decided to climb another mountain. “Where is the free, comprehensive, accurate and current database of answers to all the common questions Canadians have about the law ?”, she asked. It did not exist, so Ian and Antree decided to build it.
Legal Line
Ian reached out to lawyers with impeccable reputations and asked for their expertise in writing easy-to-understand legal answers to help Canadians better understand their rights and obligations under THE LAW. In the winter of 1993, 30 (and now over 725) prominent Canadian lawyers and judges had volunteered to help. With Ian’s telecommunications knowledge and technical skills, Legalline.ca was cultivated into a telephone ‘live answer’ hot-line, and an internet online information trove.
Initially, it was the financial support from Pardons that funded the creation and development of Legal Line. It was the effort of helping 200,000 people get pardons which funded helping millions of people receive free legal help.
More recently, the need to manage growth and become self sustaining, while satisfying our website visitors insistence that we provide referral professional services has pushed us into a new operations model. In 2018 we introduced advertising to interested parties who were able to pass our ‘litmus test’ of professional conduct.
I am excited to announce that having achieved our objectives, Legal Line is now poised for ‘Recognition of excellence in Public Service‘ by the United Nations Public Service Awards Committee.
Professional Positions:
Informix Database Software Corporation, National Telecom Manager
Pardons Canada (Pardons.com), Founder & Program Director (1993-2008)
Legal Line, Co-Founder, VP of Strategic Alliances (1993-present)
Books Published:
Your Guide to Canadian Law, Co-Author, Fitzhenry Whiteside (2007)
Canadian Criminal Records, and How to Start Fresh, Editor, Fitzhenry Whiteside (2013)
Published in:
The Toronto Star
The Globe and Mail
Numerous local papers and radio talk shows
Education:
De La Salle, Honours
York University, B.A. Economics
McGill University, Post Graduate Applied Business Management